Local Group

The Surrey Group is a vibrant group supporting the plant conservation work of Plant Heritage with an active programme of talks in Cobham,Surrey.

We also hold propagation workshops, organise trips to gardens and nurseries, organise stalls at local fairs and fetes and have two plant fairs at Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking.

Surrey Group indoor meetings are held on the second Thursday of February, March, April, September, October and November in St Andrew's Church Hall, Churchgate House, Downside Bridge Road, Cobham, KT11 3EJ.  Doors open at 7.00pm and the talk starts at 7.30pm.

We have talks by knowledgeable speakers on all aspects of plants and horticulture, a plant sale, raffle, refreshments and a Flower of the Meeting competition. Visitors are welcome and asked to donate £5 at the door. Visits to National Collections and notable gardens are organised throughout the year.

Please contact email Surrey Group for details.

Photographic Competition 2024: 'Autumn or Winter Sun' is the title for this year. The winner will be chosen at our AGM in February 2025.

Photographic Competition 2025: 'High Summer' is the title for the year. The winner will be chosen at our AGM in February 2026.

Plea for Plants ... and Search for Seeds: We always encourage members to propagate plants for sale at our Plant Fairs, we have a propagation group, we provide practical help to National Collection Holders in Surrey and we take an active part in the Plant Exchange Scheme and Plant Guardian scheme. We also donate our spare seeds for sale on the PH stand at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

Dispersed Collections Project

In 2020, as part of our endeavours to conserve the diversity of garden plants,  the Surrey Group decided to begin a project to start some dispersed collections.  Dispersed collections are not held by any one person on any particular site and the plants are dispersed among members of the group.  Dispersed collections have the horticultural advantage of being free of those problems normally associated with monocultures in terms of their susceptibility to pests and diseases.  From the point of view of a collection holder they are additionally free of that particular fear of losing plants, since identical 'backup' plants are held by other group members.

Two new collections have been proposed an Ajuga collection and a collection of the Tigh-na-Garth strain of 'Ben' Helianthemum bred by John Nicoll and commonly available in the 1920's and 1930's.

Participation in this project is open to all Surrey Group Members so if you would like to have a part, of what will hopefully become, a Plant Heritage National Collection of plants growing in your own back garden then do get in touch with the Dispersed Collections Project.

If you would like to see how we are doing our lists of plants acquired and those we are still looking for are below : -

David Ford

<p>National Plant Collection of <em>Kalmia</em> at Squires Garden Centre in Milford: <em>Kalmia latifolia</em> 'Peppermint'</p>

National Plant Collection of Kalmia at Squires Garden Centre in Milford: Kalmia latifolia 'Peppermint'

© Plant Heritage

<p>Three National Plant Collections are held by Ottershaw Cacti -<em> Astroloba, Gasteria </em>and <em>Haworthia: Haworthia</em> 'Big Band'</p>

Three National Plant Collections are held by Ottershaw Cacti - Astroloba, Gasteria and Haworthia: Haworthia 'Big Band'

Ottershaw Cacti

Our Archive

Flower of the Month Competition 

In light of the recent global crisis our normal meetings held from September through to April have had to be cancelled as has our accompanying Flower of the Month/Meeting competition.  We have now brought this popular competition online for all to enjoy.

All our thanks to the kind judges of our competition for giving their time and expertise during lockdown.

2020

  • May - Jill Otway, RHS
  • June - Tom Brown, Head Gardener West Dean Gardens
  • July - Timothy Walker, Lecturer, Botanist, Gardener, Author
  • August - Martin Fish, Consultant, Personality & Chair of RHS Tender Ornamental Plant Committee

2021

  • May - James Miller,  Propagator, Gibraltar Botanic Gardens
  • June - Cherrill Sands, Garden Historian
  • July - David Hunt, NT Enthusiast, Amateur Photographer, Lecturer, Rambler


Lecturer

Results 2020

Results 2021

For our special Lockdown Newsletter : -

Our Annual Newsletter

Published once a year and available as a printed or electronic version. All our news, competitions, trips and articles written by members of the Surrey Group.

Our Events

Upcoming Events inSurrey

Our collections

Click here to view our collections. 

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Contact Group

Committee

Chair
David Ford
07879 443 606 Email
Vice-Chair / Acting Secretary
Wendy Bentall
Hon. Treasurer
Anne Mathieson
Membership Secretary
Nina Gardner
Collections Coordinator
Anne Clifford
Plant Fair Co-Ordinator
Claire Davitt
Stud Nursery Liason
Eloise Curtis
Dispersed Collection Project Co-Ordinator
Jane Sutton
Plant Exchange Co-ordinator
Debbie Steer
Committee Member
Virginia Lloyd-Owen
Committee Member
Helen Hansen-Hjul
Committee Member
Julia Maynard
(Non-Committee) Communications, Trips & Visits
Suzy Hughes
(Non-Committee) Newsletter Editor
David England

THE HOME OF THE NATIONAL PLANT COLLECTIONS®

eg: plant genus, common name, county, collection holder name.